There have been various compositions which have been utilized in plastic or cosmetic surgery to eliminate or reduce facial wrinkles or to correct blemishes caused by indentations in the skin, (i.e. acne scars). One method has been to use liposuction to extract materials from fatty areas of the body and then to use the tissue derived from the extraction. Another method had been to employ an injection of collagen derived from animals to build up the areas. However, the animal collagen could be allergenic to some patients. Silicone gels which were utilized have recently been withdrawn because of instances of side effects being reported.
It would be desirable to use a patient's own body as a source for providing the materials utilized for cosmetic or plastic surgery.
Use of a patient's own body parts would eliminate the fear of viral infections from donors and the possibility of allergic reactions. However, the injection of autologous dermis (autoderm) can lead to inclusion cyst formation.
Collagen is a fibrous protein formed from three helices wrapped around each other. Collagen makes up about a third of the body's protein and forms a useful substrate for tissue growth.
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring mucopolysaccharide found, for example, in synovial fluid, in vitreous humor, in blood vessel walls and umbilical cord, and in other connective tissues. The polysaccharide consists of alternating N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid residues joined by alternating .beta. 1-4glucosaminidic bonds, so that the repeating unit is -(1.fwdarw.4)-.beta.-D-GlcA-(1.fwdarw.3)-.beta.-D-GlcNAc-. In water, hyaluronic acid dissolves to form a highly viscous fluid. The molecular weight of hyaluronic acid isolated from natural sources generally falls within the range of 5.times.10.sup.4 up to 1.times.10.sup.7 daltons.
As used herein the term hyaluronic acid includes any of its hyaluronate salts, including, for example, sodium hyaluronate (the sodium salt), potassium hyaluronate, magnesium hyaluronate, and calcium hyaluronate.
The article of Everton et al in J. Cosm. Surgery. Vol. 4, No. 1, 1987 entitled "Injectable Autologous Dermis (Autoderm) Its Application in Facial Cosmetic Surgery," which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses the use of morsellized autologous dermis as a filling agent to obliterate wrinkles and scars. However, the entire dermis is utilized after removal of the epidermis. This procedure has the drawback in that cysts may develop after a period of time.